Trump says US needs to ‘own’ Greenland to prevent Russia and China from taking it

President Donald Trump says the US needs to “own” Greenland to prevent Russia and China from doing so.

“Countries have to have ownership and you defend ownership, you don’t defend leases. And we’ll have to defend Greenland,” Trump told reporters on Friday, in response to a question from the BBC.

We will do it “the easy way” or “the hard way”, he added. The White House said recently the administration is considering purchasing the semi-autonomous territory of fellow NATO member Denmark, but it would not rule out the option of annexing it by force.

Denmark and Greenland say the territory is not for sale. Denmark has said military action would spell the end of the trans-Atlantic defense coalition.

Greenland

Despite being the most sparsely populated territory, Greenland’s location between North America and the Arctic makes it well placed for early warning systems in the event of missile attacks, and for monitoring ships in the region.

The US president has repeatedly said that Greenland is crucial to US national security, claiming without evidence that it was “covered with Russian and Chinese ships all over the place”.

The US has already more than 100 military personnel permanently stationed at its Pituffik base in Greenland’s north-western tip – a facility that has been operated by the US since World War Two.

Under existing agreements with Denmark, the US has the power to bring as many soldiers as it wants to Greenland.

But speaking to reporters in Washington, Trump said a lease deal was not good enough.

“Countries can’t make nine-year deals or even 100-year deals,” he said, adding that they had to have ownership.

“I love the people of China. I love the people of Russia,” Trump said. “But I don’t want them as a neighbor in Greenland, not going to happen.”

“And by the way Nato’s got to understand that,” the US president added.

Denmark’s NATO allies – major European countries as well as Canada – have rallied to its support this week with statements reaffirming that “only Denmark and Greenland can decide on matters concerning their relations”.

Stressing they were as keen as the US on Arctic security, they said this must be achieved by allies, including the US, “collectively”.

They also called for “upholding the principles of the UN Charter, including sovereignty, territorial integrity and the inviolability of boundaries”.

US President Donald Trump late Friday once again spoke about taking action on Greenland, saying the US would have to do “something” or risk Russia and China stepping in. He said Washington does not want Moscow or Beijing as its “neighbors”.
Speaking to reporters during a meeting with top oil and gas executives, Trump questioned Denmark’s claim over Greenland, saying that landing a boat there 500 years ago does not grant ownership of the land.

President Donald Trump warned that the United States will take action on Greenland, saying it will act “the easy way” or “the hard way” to stop Russia or China from gaining influence on the Arctic island.

Addressing a gathering on Saturday at the White House, Trump said, “We are going to do something on Greenland, whether they like it or not, because if we don’t do it, Russia or China will take over Greenland, and we’re not going to have Russia or China as a neighbor. I would like to make a deal the easy way, but if not, we are going to do it the hard way.”

U.S. Authorities have discussed sending lump sum payments to Greenlanders as part of a bid to convince them to secede from Denmark and potentially join the United States, according to four sources familiar with the matter.

While the exact dollar figure and logistics of any payment are unclear, officials, including White House aides, have discussed figures ranging from $10,000 to $100,000 per person, said two of the sources, who requested anonymity to discuss internal discussions.

The idea of directly paying residents of Greenland, an overseas territory of Denmark, offers one explanation of how the U.S. might attempt to “buy” the island of 57,000 people, despite authorities’ insistence in Copenhagen and Nuuk that Greenland is not for sale.

The tactic is among various plans being discussed by the White House for purchasing Greenland, including potential use of the U.S. military. But it risks coming off as excessively transactional and even degrading to a population that has long debated its own independence and its economic dependence on Denmark.
“Enough is enough … No more fantasies about annexation,” Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen wrote in a Facebook post on Sunday after U.S. President Donald Trump again told reporters the U.S. needed to acquire the island.

EUROPEAN LEADERS SAY DECISION FOR GREENLAND, DENMARK

Leaders in Copenhagen and throughout Europe have reacted to comments by Trump and other White House officials asserting their right to Greenland in recent days with contempt, particularly given that the U.S. and Denmark are NATO allies bound by a mutual defense agreement.

On Tuesday, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, Britain and Denmark released a joint statement, saying only Greenland and Denmark can decide matters regarding their relations.

Asked for comment about discussions to purchase the island, including the possibility of direct payments to Greenlanders, the White House referred Reuters to comments by press secretary Karoline Leavitt and Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday.
During a press briefing, Leavitt admitted that Trump and his national security aides were “looking at what a potential purchase would look like.” Rubio said he would meet his Danish counterpart next week in Washington to discuss Greenland.

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